Epilogue
THREE WEEKS LATER
The canyons looked ominous in the spotlights and shadows, at odds with all the gathered Uni students drinking and hollering in the wide-open expanse of packed red dirt. Without a care in the world.
Comingto race night with a proper invite wasn’t half as fun as showing up uninvited, but I couldn’t complain.
Notwith mo mhuirnín beside me and Kaleb trying to play off the fact that he was sweating bullets waiting for the race to start.
Hewas the one who wanted the rematch, but now he was looking at my Impala like it was the fucking Batmobile and his white Nissan like it better not fucking disappoint him.
Itwas entertaining, to say the least. And after the last few weeks, it all felt so trivially normal.
EvenBecca was smiling again. SomethingI hadn’t seen since her best friend returned to ThornValley a few days after the bloodbath at Kilborn.
Shewas eating again, too. Going to classes.
Thoughshe never took her job back at DeathBeforeDecaf, wanting to give her friend Kate space until she was ready to see her—if she ever would be.
Hardinand Kaleb and the rest of the students at Kilborn had the last three weeks off. The official story was that a vehicle collided with the gymnasium wall and thanks to a generous donation from DamienSt. Vincent—courtesy of my da’s offshore account that passed to me on his death—the university was getting a brand new gym.
…and a large part of the school was receiving a substantial facelift thanks to the broken windows and bullet-riddled walls.
Sincemany of the Sons were in the States illegally, with no legal record, it was easy for Damien to make them disappear. And easy to pay off the coroner to report my da’s death as ‘accidental’ to avoid unwanted scrutiny.
Nowhe was buried out here. Not far from the southern tip of the road we’d race on today. Apparently, he wasn’t buried very far from another grave SloaneSt. Vincent and Hardin dug when he was young. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who it was. Twoshite fathers now took up space in the canyon under the stars.
Thebastards could keep each other’s bones company.
Itstill felt surreal. I never imagined my da could die. I’d thought of him as one step removed from being immortal my entire life. And now that he was gone…
Therewas no sadness. Not at all. It was more…an emptiness.One that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to fill. But maybe that void was one that should stay empty.
There’sa sense of freedom, too. One that I didn’t imagine I would ever feel.
“Is it true you’re going to stay?” Becca asked, peering over the rim of her rye and ginger ale as she sipped it.
Icame back to myself, realizing I recognized the song that was playing over the loudspeakers as one Becca liked a lot, aptly named SwitchbladeSmile.
“Aodhán?”
Whathad she asked? Right. WasI staying?
Truthwas I had nowhere else to go. No other family that knew me. No friends back home. And funny enough, Iliked my film studies class. I liked grabbing coffee in the morning on campus with Becca and then meeting her in the afternoon for lunch between classes.
Itfelt foreign. Anything normal always did, but I didn’t realize how much I craved it. After being taught to disdain it all my life, I didn’t know this kind of life was something I could grow to want for myself.
Ofcourse there was still gang business to be handled. Whispers from Hardin and Kaleb and some of the other Saints were that Damien planned to bring me on officially, soon. I wasn’t marked with gang ink like the other Sons. My father always wanted me to be a ghost. Unclaimed. His double agent.
Didn’tstop me from inking myself with fifty other things, but I was ready to be claimed. Wanted it. Wanted to belong somewhere. With someone.
“Yeah,” I said after a long sigh. “I’m staying—as long as that’s all right with you, love.”
Acrooked smile pulled her lips, and her warm eyes crinkled at the edges like she thought I was an adorable idiot. “No, actually, I want you to leave. Wasn’t it obvious?”
Ichuckled. “Smart ass.”
“Of course I want you to stay. I wish you would come stay with us at the house, though. We can make room.”
“Might be a little too much testosterone for a two-bedroom craftsman.”
Sheshifted her shoulders, making an innocent expression that came across as anything but. “I mean…I don’t think so.”
“You wouldn’t.”
Shekicked my ankle with a scoff. “Fine. Then we’ll get another place. A bigger one.”
Beccawasn’t joking. I could see the earnestness in her eyes. I dropped my head in a nod. “Maybe. But there’s no rush. They don’t know me like you do, mo mhuirnín, not yet.”
Noteven she knew everything there was to know about me. When she learned the rest of it—uncovered all my ugly truths—would she still want to be closer to me?
Ihoped so.
“They will,” she assured me. “Eventually.”
“Are we doing this shit or what?” Kaleb said, tossing his only half-finished beer into a trash bin as he walked up, his chest lifted and jaw set.
Ilifted my beer to him in salute, trying not to smirk. “Whenever you’re ready, mate.”
“Let’s go,” he hollered and the students all around us cheered, beer and liquor splashing everywhere as they lifted their red cups and screamed.
“Who am I riding with?” Becca shouted over the noise, looking between us with a torn expression.
Ilifted a coin from my pocket and tossed it in the air. “Call it.”
“Heads,” Kaleb said with a pointed look in Becca’s direction that had her snorting.
Iclapped the coin onto the back of my hand and then withdrew it.
Kalebdidn’t bother trying to hide his disappointment.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Ride with Kaleb.”
“Fuck that, you won the toss fair and square. It’s better like this. I’ll be able to focus better without anyone in the passenger seat.”
Beccasquinted at Kaleb with a mischievous look. “Wait, so you’re going to deny all these gorgeous ladies the opportunity to be tonight’s race queen?”
Heglared right back. “I only see one gorgeous lady,” he replied, pulling her against his body to grab a handful of ass. She really did have the best ass. “Only one queen, too.”
“Right answer.” She leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him and whispered something in his ear that I couldn’t hear.
Hisgaze heated as he swallowed and I could imagine what she told him. What she promised him if he won. Nothing like a little sexual incentive to put things into sharper focus.
Hecoughed, clearing his throat as he turned to Hardin. “Come on, it’s time, let’s go.”
“Good luck, Galway,” Hardin called over his shoulder as he moved to catch up with a slightly bow-legged Kaleb.
Beccawatched them go before slipping her hand into mine. “Well,” she said. “Lead the way.”
Itugged her through the crowd with me, toward the race line, where Kaleb was already in his car, hands on the wheel, eyes forward. Focused.
“He’s really not fuckin’ around,” I muttered as I opened the passenger door for Becca and she slid into the leather seat, buckling herself in tight.
“Nope,” Becca replied with a glimmer in her eyes. “You better bring your A-game, Galway.”
“Don’t you start.”
Islipped into my seat, adjusting everything to comfortable levels.
“I think it’s cute,” Becca said, and for a second I had no idea what she was talking about.
“That he already gave you a nickname,” she explained and then motioned zipping her lips. “Sorry. Sorry. You need to focus. I’ll be quiet.”
“No need, mo mhuirnín. Talk all you like.”
Istarted the engine, feeling my baby purr beneath me as she came to life.
“Are you ever going to tell me what that means?”
“Why don’t you ask Kaleb?”
Hardinwalked into the middle of the road, straddling the centerline, getting ready to send us off.
“Why would I ask Kaleb?”
“He figured it out weeks ago. Googled it as soon as he heard me say it that night I met you and them at their place.”
“What? Seriously?”
Inodded.
“Surprised you didn’t.”
Ahorn blared outside, and everyone chanted THREE.
Beccagripped the handle, her face flushing as she snapped her attention to the road ahead.
Igrinned.
Thehorn blared again.
“TWO!”
Hardinlifted his arms.
“It means, my darling.”
Sheturned to face me, and I looked ahead to the road just as everyone shouted “ONE!” The horn blared, and Hardin threw down his arms.
Agasp left Becca’s lips as I threw the car into drive and hammered down on the accelerator, switching gears three times in what felt like as many seconds.
Kalebgot out ahead of me, his engine able to go zero to sixty a lot faster than my Impala, but it wasn’t about the beginning. The important bit was at the end, and I had five miles to catch up.
Beccawhooped, eyes alight, and I jammed the power button for the upgraded sound system, my playlist coming on at full volume. TheSummoning by SleepToken blasted through the speakers, and she bobbed her head to the beat, hollering.
Icould confidently say that I would never get tired of seeing her like this. I’d race Kaleb every damn weekend to see that light in her eyes.
Igrinned to myself as my Impala started to push close to Kaleb’s bumper, looking for a way to get around him on the next turn.
Beccastarted to sing along to the lyrics of the song, the words cutting off in a breathless gasp as I drifted us tight around the next turn, pushing Kaleb back enough to get through and ahead.
Inmy peripherals, I watched her crane her neck back to see him. I glanced in the rearview to find him fuming as he shifted left and right behind us, looking for his next opening to try to race ahead.
Fuck. This was fun.
Realfun.
Withno strings attached.
Ilaughed and felt Becca’s eyes on me. Curious. Like she’d never heard me laugh before. I wasn’t sure if she had. Not really.
Ihalf forgot what my own laugh sounded like.
Whichwas so fucking ridiculous that I laughed louder.
“No, Aodhán, go!He’s going to get around you!”
Notyet.
Ikept him pinned back as we drove, but he was so close in speed and skill that I was truly impressed. And as we veered into the final straightaway, I knew what I needed to do.
Iallowed him to pull up beside me. Becca waved to him madly as the lights from the party came into view in the bottom of the canyon floor. Half a mile ahead.
Kaleb’sface was red through the driver’s side window of his car as he bared his teeth, pushing with everything he had. Weagreed no NOS for this race since I wasn’t hooked up for it, and I could tell he was itching for it.
Beccasquirmed in her seat. “He’s getting ahead of us!”
Ipulled ahead of him, the pair of us trading the lead as we raced toward the finish line.
Sixhundred meters.
Fourhundred.
Two.
“Yes! Yes, Aodhán, we’re almost?—”
Ieased off the gas, just enough to be sure.
“No!”
Kalebzipped past the finish line with me no more than a few inches on his tail and the crowd roared, people lighting off fireworks and roman candles in celebration of his victory.
Thevictory of the rightful race king.
“Damn,” I said as I let off the gas and allowed the car to coast for a bit before I started to brake. “That was close.”
Asthe car came to a stop and I glanced over at Becca, I found her staring at me, a knot between her brows that softened as understanding dawned on her. She really was so much smarter than she ever gave herself credit for.
Shewould know why I did it.
Itwas in my best interest for Kaleb and his brother to like me. This was step one, and if it meant I got to keep mo mhuirnín, I’d take as many as I needed to.
Shecrossed her arms over her chest. “That was kind of you,” she said in an accusing but playful tone.
Ikept a straight face and shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, love.”
Shelet out a scoffing laugh but smiled at me incredulously.
Inthe rearview, I saw the crowds of Uni students swarming Kaleb’s car to congratulate him. Saw him pull himself out the passenger window to sit on the sill with his arms raised in triumph.
Beccapulled my face to hers, crushing her lips against mine in a kiss that somehow managed to be both brutal and soft. The sensation of it went straight to my chest, finding a home there as I parted her lips with my tongue and claimed her mouth.
Shemoaned into me, and the sound went straight to my cock.
Bitingher lip as she pulled away, she gave me a devious look and said, “I forgot to tell you what the prize was for runner up.”
Fuck. This girl was going to be my complete and utter undoing.
“What’s that, love?”
Sheopened her mouth to tell me, but I kissed her quiet. “Actually, let”s keep it a surprise, shall we?”
“As you wish,” she trilled, unbuckling her seatbelt as she shifted her attention to the riot of women standing between her and Kaleb and sighed.
“Go on,” I told her. “I’ll clear a path for you. Let’s go see that the winner gets congratulated properly.”
Want to find out how Ava Jade and the Crows wound up at Kilborn on dune buggies to help save the day?? I am in desperate need of a break to decompress after finishing this one, but as soon as I have time I fully intend to write a bonus scene from Ava Jade’s POV showing how her and the Crows fought to get there in time to help Becca and the guys. It’s going to be so fun!